A Change of Heart
by lovecastle89
Summary: On Earth Keith always hated Valentine's Day, but when Arus recognizes it as a holiday, Keith may have to reconsider his feelings especially since he is romantically involved with the beautiful Princess Allura.


_**I wondered if I could come up with a Valentine's Day themed K/A story and I did! Boy though, I worked on this one endlessly this week to get it out. My mistakes are mine as I'm my own beta, so I can be blamed for the errors. I don't own Voltron or its characters only my OC's featured in this story or other stories I have written. I don't make any money off of this story. Darn it! **_

_**I also do not own the song lyrics that are featured later in this story. They are from a song by Karla Bonoff called "Standing right next to me." It's from the movie 8 Seconds. I suggest you google this song if you're not familiar with it. It's so beautiful and one of my favorites.**_

_**Enjoy the story and don't forget to review. Much love to on Valentine's Day! Blowing Voltron kisses to you!**_

After several months of officially courting Princess Allura and with the both of them out in the open about their relationship, Keith couldn't have been happier. He was quite in love with her and she too reciprocated equally. Her blue eyes twinkled as his dark ones did too whenever they saw each other and he felt like he truly and found something so profound and genuine in loving her. It never mattered that she was a princess ruling the planet that he and his teammates helped rebuild, or that he was a pilot, a commander and not a prince or a king of a fine kingdom. Allura was a loving, kind-hearted and truly noble leader who also flue the blue lion fighting side by side with him. It felt right every time Keith's hand slipped into hers.

But, when Valentine's Day was approaching, Keith's anxiety stirred, his heart skipped a few beats and his palms began to sweat. What was he going to do? He never liked Valentine's Day, ever. To him, it was a nonsensical, overrated, hyped-up day in which women demanded from him to give them flowers, chocolates, jewelry, anything. Why did this holiday have to come to Arus of all things? Keith never had a lot of money as a younger man to spend on his girlfriends and they would get angry if he didn't buy them the right kind of flowers, chocolates or take them out to dinner and some fancy shmancy restaurant that would leave his pocketbook empty.

As he walked down one of the hallways leading to the locker room, he was eager to change clothes and shoot a few hoops. He scowled thinking that he would much rather fight robeasts than celebrate Valentine's Day. He didn't think there needed to be a day where he had to prove his love to Allura. Passing through one of the hallways, he noticed there were little pink, red and white paper hearts adorning the walls and he knew without a doubt everyone at the castle would be talking about Valentine's Day. As he entered the locker room, Hunk and Lance had taken showers as apparent by their wet heads of hair and towels wrapped around their waists. As they sat around the benches and dressing, they talked about the upcoming Valentine's holiday.

"So Hunk, what do you plan on getting Victoria for Valentine's Day?" Lance asked as he reached for his clean shirt and began to pull it over his head.

"I was thinking of sending her some flowers since she'll be on Earth," the big man replied with a hearty smile.

"Yeah, I'm thinking my girl would like some too. I'm also going to get her some of those Arusian chocolate truffles and then who knows what I'll be getting from her," Lance grinned as he waggled his eyebrows.

Who's the flavor of the month this time Lance?" Keith asked interrupting their conversation. Both Lance and Hunk looked up to see Keith leaning with his arms crossed while standing against a row of lockers.

"Hey, come on now Keith," Lance responded with a laugh, "This girl is the one! Seriously, why do you think I'm still like I was back at the academy? I've changed," Lance emphasized, yet still grinning.

Keith snickered and raised his eyebrows and Lance then took the opportunity to quiz Keith about_his_ plans for Valentine's Day.

"So Commander, do you have any plans for your sweetheart?" Lance blurted out and knowing from Keith's past just how much the day for lovers was a day of hate for him.

"Nope," Keith replied succinctly as he shook his head and pulled his tank top out of his locker and replaced his shirt with it.

"Ah! Come on! Give it a chance! Stop being such a hater! Women love to get flowers, cards, jewelry, all the romantic stuff and then when they're happy, well, you get you know.." He made a motion of putting his fist to his mouth and as Keith glared at him in disgust, Hunk tossed his head back and laughed.

"You could at least get her a box of chocolates," Hunk suggested after a few moments of silence between the three in the locker room. As he waited for Keith's reply, he began tying his shoes.

"You know the princess is going to want to celebrate," Lance teased on.

"Maybe she won't even care about it," Keith replied quietly before he tied up his sneakers and headed to the gym leaving Hunk and Lance shaking their heads at his stubborness.

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As he dribbled the basketball down the court and began to take several shots, Keith thought of agonizing over Valentine's Day weighing heavily on his mind. Lance and Hunk knew just how bad he felt about the day and it was as though in the locker room they had been trying to rub his nose in his distate for it.

Keith's hopes for Allura to not care about Valentine's day dwindled each day as he overheard her talking to the castle staff about their plans for the day and with them sharing about their relationship problems, but also fun times. Keith would watch Allura from afar usually in the hallways or the dining areas giggling.

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Then one morning, just a few days before Valentine's Day, Allura was in the baking hall with Hunk, Lance and Pidge. They were all decorating heart-shaped sugar cookies. There were pink, red and white sugars that sparkled like diamond dust, confetti heart sprinkles along with bowls of pink, white and red icing.

_So much sugar,_Keith though to himself as he stood with his arms crossed and watched the team at work. He wore a smirk as he found it amusing that Hunk and Lance were decorating cookies. He could understand Pidge wanting to do that as he was still a kid.

Allura looked up from her cookie-decorating and flashed him a bright, wide smile to which he smiled back swearing to himself that he could see little red and pink hearts bursting from her. Her pink jumpsuit blended with the pink icing that she was frosting her cookie with. He couldn't help but notice also how her eyes sparkled as much as the sugar on the cookies. Making his way over to her, he placed a tender kiss on her cheek. Lance looked up also and grinned at Keith.

"Having fun?" Keith asked as he looked at each of his teammates with their fingers covered in icing and sugar crystals.

"Yeah," Lance replied with a snort. "We're just getting in touch with our inner Betty Crockers."

Keith laughed out loud and shook his head.

"Hey Keith, you wanna join us?" Hunk asked eagerly, "We've got room for another cookie artist," he said as he pulled out a chair nearby and shift his further to the right.

"No, I'm just going to watch for a bit," Keith said as he stood looking over his teammates shoulders so he could get a better glimpse of their cookie-decorating.

"I'm thinking I might space mail some of mine to Victoria, along with her flowers I'm having arranged from the garden," Hunk said as he lightly scattered some candied hearts onto the cookie that he was decorating.

"I wish I had a girlfriend sometimes. I mean who am I going to give my cookies to?" Pidge asked innocently from behind his glasses.

"Hey Pidge, you can eat those cookies and then give the crumbs to the space mice," Lance suggested and they all giggled at that.

Laughing and smiling like a school girl who just completed an art project, Allura showed Keith one of her cookies frosted red with KEITH spelled out in white piped icing and with multi-colored sprinkles adorning all around it.

"Thanks Princess. How sweet of you," he replied politely and gave her a quick kiss before he took a bite.

"Keith, are you sure you won't sit with us and decorate some cookies? I, I know it seems a little silly, but we're all having fun here," Allura asked, her innocent blue eyes alive and loving.

"No, I'll pass. I need to meet with Coran about some things with the lions. Thank you again Honey," he added before he walked off with the cookie in hand. He thought he saw her smile fade as he turned to leave them in the baking hall.

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Keith sat down in the recreation room for a bit on the sofa and enjoyed the cookie. It was buttery and sweet with a crisp melt-in-your mouth texture and a few crumbs dropped onto his uniform. He didn't often eat sweets, but knowing that Allura had decorated this cookie just for him made him all the more eager to eat it. Allura was so gracious and that was one of the many reasons he loved her. She deserved so much, but why should he have one day to show that to her? He didn't have the heart to tell her how he really felt about this whole Valentine's Day nonsense, but he knew she was enamored by the whole idea of it, romance and flowers. As he walked over down the corridor to Coran's office, there were two maids giggling as they read a banner on the wall. As he got nearer, he read what it stated. There was to be a dance held on the eve before Valentine's Day. "All couples encouraged to come and enjoy

Festivities and fun. Guaranteed to be a romantic time."

One of the maids turned to Keith, her brown eyes twinkling and then she asked him in an excited tone, "Are you taking Princess Allura to the dance Commander Keith?"

He blinked for a second before responding with a shrug of his shoulders and as honestly as he could he replied, "I'm not sure."

"Oh, but Commander Keith! You must! Everyone is expecting you to come to this!" The other maid said almost frantically as she clasped her hands together.

"We'll see," replied with a slightly forced smile and he turned away from the giggling maids, a scowl on his face as he though to himself_Damn Valentine's Day!_

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The girly giddiness of Allura's expression faded as she, along with Pidge, Hunk and Lance began to clean up the table after decorating their cookies which they had then wrapped carefully in parchment paper.

"It seems Keith isn't really interested in Valentine's Day," Princess Allura said with a sigh before she slumped her shoulders and frowned.

Hunk shot Lance a look of_should we tell her?_ and to which Lance gave a nod.

"Look Princess, to be honest, Keith really isn't into Valentine's Day," Lance told her as he stared down at his feet, shuffling them back and forth. His uneasiness left him queasy as he didn't want her to feel bad. Reaching out his hand, he touched her arm lightly. He didn't want her to feel bad. It wasn't about her. It was about Keith.

"But why?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed slightly in perplexion. Then Lance and Hunk explained to her about Keith's past girlfriends and how nothing was ever good enough for them and that they never seemed to like what he'd give them for Valentine's Day. The flowers were never pretty enough, one girl wanted ruby earrings, not emeralds. Lance and Hunk also spoke of the fact that the holiday was so commercialized on Earth and that turned Keith off even more.

With her head down, Allura couldn't help but feel disappointment welling up in her. She was looking forward to something special from Keith, maybe not flowers or chocolates, but something and she wasn't sure what it was.

"Look Princess, like I said it's not you, it's Keith. If we could change his mind, we would," Lance said firmly.

"It's okay guys, really," she responded managing a little smile.

"We'll at least get him to escort you to the dance on Saturday," Hunk promised as he patted her shoulder reassuringly before he and Lance left her to ponder her thoughts.

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At last it was Saturday morning, the day of the big Valentine's party and dance. Over breakfast, Lance and Hunk outright asked Keith if he and the princess would be attending.

"I guess, " was Keith's weak reply before he took a sip of his coffee.

"You guess?! Come off it Keith! You're in an exclusive relationship with the woman who runs this castle, who rules this planet, who YOU are in love with and who is in love with YOU!" Lance scolded him, not caring who was looking in their direction.

Without responding, Keith just sat in silence holding his coffee mug.

"Unbelievable," Lance scoffed silently.

They finished their breakfast without bringing it up any further until Hunk felt bold enough to do so.

"Keith, I have an idea. So Valentine's Day is tomorrow and I could cook you and the princess a delicious, candlelight dinner tomorrow night" Hunk asked hopefully and he crooked his neck close to Keith.

"I may consider it," Keith replied finally looking up at him. Although he enjoyed dancing with Allura, he felt as though he was capitulating. They were not giving up on this Valentine's Day thing at all.

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It was just a few minutes before the start time of the Valentine's dance and party. Keith had forgone his red commander suit and opted for a black tie and tux. Sheepishly, he checked himself in the mirror and added gold lion head cufflinks Coran had given him as a gift. His black hair was slicked back and after a few light sprays of cologne, he then stepped out of his room and down to the ballrom to meet the princess.

The ballroom was filled with castle staff all dressed in their finest, mostly reds, pinks and black gowns and suits. Keith filled a cup full of the satiny red punch at the table. After taking a sip, he thought it was much too sweet for his taste, but he sipped anyway.

As he walked about gretting and chitchatting with others, he looked up and watch Allura descending the stairs and he jaw dropped at how radiant and incredibly beautiful she looked. Half of her long, flowing blonde locks were braided and pinned back in a beautiful, sparkling clip while the rest of her golden waves hung down her shoulders and back. But, the most dazzling, heavenly sight was the long, pink ice gown she wore. It had a middle strip of crimson-colored fabric woven into it. No, this was not Allura's usual, drab fluffy pink ballgowns that Nanny always insisted she wear, this was amazing. Keith watched her continue her slow, regal walk, her hand on the banister lightly guiding her descent down the stairs.

Her sky-blue eyes caught sight of Keith and her smile grew. It was as though he were the only man in the room and he was waiting for her.

Setting down his punch cup, he then parted through a crowd of people, Keith got to the bottom of the stairs and offered her his arm.

"Hello Handsome," she eagerly greeted him still smiling.

"Hello Beautiful," he replied staring into those eyes of hers that reminded him of all the oceans on Earth.

He led her out to dance to a slow, romantic song perfect for the two of them to dance to. As they danced in silence, Keith's guilt began to chip away at him and his stomach quaked. He hadn't got anything for Allura for Valentine's Day tomorrow. He would be empty-handed.

Trying to distract himself from his thoughts, he continued his slow dance with Allura and looked around at the other couples as the song played on.

_I used to have a wish, one day I'd feel like this_

_Now I know love exists, 'cause it's standing right next to me_

He spotted Lance with his lady dancing. All Keith knew was that her name was Emma and that she was a nurse who was currently working with Dr. Gorma. Now that Keith had a face with her name, he studied Lance who couldn't have seemed more happy in his black tux with a red bowtie. When Lance wasn't kissing her, he was either smiling heavily or whispering to her. Emma's was a petite gal with a lovely olive complexion that glowed and Keith could see a smattering of light freckles on her nose and cheeks. Her long, chocolate-brown hair was pulled to one side in a fancy ponytail tied off with a blue, satin bow. Ther dress she wore was a royal blue gown studded with tiny, shimmering crystals. As she danced with Lance, she smiled endlessly, closing her eyes gently with each kiss from him. Then when Keith saw Lance whisper something in her ear, he watched her head bob back while she laughed at whatever Lance had said to her. Keith smiled knowing Lance too had found something special with this girl.

_"Keith, Keith,"_ he heard Allura calling his name. Allura, in his arms, found him distracted.

"Oh, sorry, I was just watching Lance with his new girlfriend," he responded blinking his eyes.

"Isn't she gorgeous? I met her earlier and she's very nice," Allura said cheerfully before placing her head on Keith's shoulder.

"Well, you are certainly gorgeous and may I add absolutely stunning," Keith replied back looking down at her. Just a moment had pased as they continued their dance to the song that would soon be ending. Keith couldn't bear it any longer. He needed to have a heartfelt talk with her.

"Allura, can we talk out on the balcony?" he asked softly in her ear and as she turned her head, he pointed to their left at the French doors that would lead out to the balcony.

"Yes," she calmly replied, but a slight wave of nausea passed through her stomach while she worked hard to chase the thoughts from her mind. _What does he want to speak to me about?I hope he doesn't wish to end our relationship._

As he opened the doors out to the balcony, they both thought of what a peaceful night it was. Stars dotted the black velvet sky and the air was only slightly cool yet calm. Allura's bare arms were comfortable, but she still trembled, slightly nervous at what Keith was going to speak about.

"Allura, I've been such a selfish jerk lately," Keith said, the heels of his hands coming up to rub his forehead before he put his head down. It was hard for him not to hide his shame from her. "I'm sorry," his voice broke, "I've always hated, hated Valentine's Day. On Earth, it was so commercialized and the girls I dated? All they cared about was how much money I could spend on them and they always expected me to get them gift, flowers, everything, but nothing was ever good enough."

He was babbling and then had a sickening thought that quickened his heartbeat. Allura was watching him and listening intently, her blue eyes focusing on him. Did she think her thought he was like his old girlfriends?

"Oh Gods Sweetheart! I'm not comparing you to my ex's. Please! I hope you don't think that!", he gasped as his his ebony eyes were now pleading.

"No Keith. No. I, I actually..Lance and Hunk told me about this," she stammered biting down on her lower lip. He sighed, somewhat relieved. She didn't seem too disturbed by the revelation.

"Look," she continued on, "Keith," she took both of his hands in hers. Glancing up at him lovingly, she spoke, "I don't care about getting flowers from you. I have a whole rose garden and several acres of beautiful flowers of every kind growing in the gardens surrounding the castle. I have the crown jewels that belonged to my mother in a safe, Our head castle chef can make the best, absolutely delicious chocolate truffles better than anywere else, so I don't need or want any of those things. Keith, the best thing," she closed her eyes firmly and then took a deep breath, "The best thing that you could ever give me, you've already given me and that's this", she said as she let go of one of his hands so she could place her hand onto the left side of his chest right over his heart. Under her palm, she could feel it beating heavily.

Too stunned to respond, she only stared, but then managed to smile along with a few trickles of tears that spilled from his eyes.

"I can't tell you how much I love you Allura," his voice cracking with emotion and as he pulled her into his arms again, his embrace was powerful and his lips met hers in a fierce kiss that deepened and could've gone on forever, but they both finally pulled back. Their eyes locked onto each others for several moments until Keith spoke again. "I do have a little surprise for you tomorrow," he whispered. Her smile grew again fondly. "Let's dance some more, Love," he suggested as he pulled the door open to return inside. Afterwards, he was going to find Hunk and tell him yes. Hunk could make that candlelight dinner happen and he couldn't wait.


End file.
